Tesla aside, corporate-owned outlets for everything is the seemingly inevitable capitalist outcome.
With auto dealers of all kinds, there’s just not as much profit in it as there used to be, so the outlets end up in the hands of the deepest pockets.
I still think Musk is just trying to keep hidden how little actual profit there is in his vehicles.
I don't think having franchised dealers would change that. Ultimately dealers are just middlemen, buying the car from the manufacturer for X price and selling it for Y price. They don't get into the inner workings of the price the manufacturer charges them.